


My Friend/Rival

by pechika



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 05:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8519512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pechika/pseuds/pechika
Summary: Keller contimplates his relationship with Neal.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheenianni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheenianni/gifts).



> Written for sheenianni in Collar Corner fest. Has spoilers from season 1 to season 6.

Neal and I first meet at Backgammon in Monaco. As a conman, you pick up a six sense about lawman and your fellow professionals. My sixth sense tingled as I watched Neal mingle his way around the table his strategy was obvious – play the novice, before going in for the kill after the opponent guard was down. A mixture of flattery and charm he seemed to disarm most opponents. Most people smiled even after losing. 

Neal became a friend and rival. We sometimes went after the same target and sometimes collaborated. We had some fun times, like the time I rescued Neal from the guards at the palace in Austria as Neal escaped in the buff. Our partnership came to end when I killed Sly who thought he had left his passport at the crime scene. We could not afford any loose ends. I still remember Neal look of shock and revulsion. I sometimes regret my rashness I should have let the bloke check his pocket but I was impatient and terrified of loose ends. 

Neal fancied himself as a gentleman thief steal but leave no collateral damage behinds. Every crime left some damage –a broken trust, something valuable is lost, jobs lost - there are no victimless crimes. 

Neal’s crimes had a touch of flair and brilliance. It is what made collaborating with him so mu much fun, he was cautiously reckless. He attracted Mozzie, Alex and some of the best talents in our world. He enjoyed his reputation his personality ensured he was liked by all hell even the cops chasing him seemed to like him. I viewed him with a touch of envy and disdain, what was the point of such flamboyance? Neal cared for people it was his biggest strength and weakness. 

Kate proved to be Neal’s Achilles heel. He finally got arrested; his weakness for Kate got the better of him. Even during the trial the FBI with all their legal and forensic tools at their disposal could only make one charge stick. Neal managed to charm the jurors all charges but one were dropped. A four-year sentence on forgery charges Neal got out lightly. What a bloody waste.

I heard a boneheaded Neal had escaped from prison. Another four years were added to his sentence for this stunt. He still managed to procure a pretty sweet deal with the agent who had arrested him. Trust Neal to move into a penthouse while low on resources and in the stipulated radius of his tracking anklet. 

I bit more than I could chew when I took on the Russian mafia. I had a debt to pay. My next encounter with Neal was over the Franklin bottle. I managed to drive the price of the bottle sky high with the speculation thanks to Neal and the FBI. My plan came to naught I had clearly been outsmarted by Neal and his handler Agent Burke clearly another variable had entered the picture. Neal could break out of prison then so could I .Be patient and play my cards right. 

I was sentenced to Barkesdale which housed many Russian mobsters it was a prison I needed to avoid. A good con is all about planning like a game of chess, predicting how your opponent moves. A good chess player manipulates his opponent’s movement. All the pieces were in places when I contacted the FBI.Lang who had a grudge against the FBI agreed to kidnap the Agent. I had seen the interaction between Neal and his handler, they cared deeply for one another. Neal would be easy to manipulate if the agent was kidnapped. The FBI would take care of Lang I had no qualms about throwing the idiot under the bus he actually thought he would get away after shooting me. In the end, we both what we wanted I escaped and the agent proved resourceful enough to escape the cage he was kept in.

Rumors were afoot that Neal had acquired the U-boat treasure. If Neal was involved Mozzie had to be involved as well. It made sense given the constraints in Neal’s movements. Things were not so rosy between Neal and his handler, the treasure had driven a wedge between them. I kidnapped the agent’s wife, it was the one time I had underestimated my opponents. Taking on Mozzie, Neal and Agent Burke may have been a mistake. Mrs. Burke was no damsel in distress, she managed to escape. Agent Burke came to Neal’s rescue during our standoff. I envied the bond the duo shared heck even Mozzie seemed to have wormed his way into the inner circle. They always seemed to have each other back in spite of the difference in their temperaments. 

The takedown of the panthers saw Neal and I collaborate again. There devised a way to line our pockets through the takedown. Neal being the hero he is ensured Mozzie escaped with a sizeable chunk of the cash. There was a feeling sorrow as I stared at Neal’s body he really should not have brought a gun. Neal was skirmish about violence and he lacked the ruthlessness to see things through. I would miss our chess games and I would miss the battle of wits. Besides Neal was one of the nice guys in what was a very murky profession. I prefer to work alone it is less messy, it is one of the reasons I have a few friends in my world. I operate on fear but Neal was one of few people who I had let in. We had our moments in our troubled relationship. I had comprehensively bested the best. There was no time to gloat Neal had worn his anklet to our rendezvous point. It was time make my escape.


End file.
